Press Releases

As states around the country grapple with the widespread problem of sex trafficking, Ohio has made great strides over the past several years.

Aided by Gov. John Kasich and Attorney General Mike DeWine, the state has gone from ranking near the bottom among states in terms of being tough on trafficking to putting new laws in place and marshaling nearly $2 million in grants and other aid to anti-trafficking programs around the state.

A recent Associated Press report found that a number of states have passed new laws targeting sex trafficking in recent years, but few have put significant funding behind them.

Without financial resources to give victims support while they put their lives back together, advocates lament, they are less likely to testify against traffickers and more likely to fall back into prostitution, drug abuse and other destructive and illegal behaviors.